Somewhere between distinctively American & uniquely Latin

Hi everyone! I've lurked here a while, and love reading allow the name suggestions you give. My husband and I have been deadlocked without a name for two months now. We have one daughter, Tegan, who was named within a week of finding her gender. I had it on my short list due to my love of Canadian indie rock, and my husband had it for the old Doctor Who companion since he grew up watching the old series. It fits her perfectly. However, we haven't been so lucky with our upcoming son's name.

I would like a name that would really grow well into something distinguished. A little preppy is fine by me. I want it to not be too popular, but still on the top 1000. No made up names here. We're both teachers, so many names are often ruined for us by associations with students. Also, being a teacher, we want the child to be the only student in class with the name (hopefully).

My husband is on a totally different wavelength. He's a Latin teacher, who enjoys historical reference and significance (which I as a history major can appreciate). He's pulling names right out of his textbooks though, and his other major influence this time around is a newfound appreciation for astronomy.

Names on my short list include:Atticus: I feel like this is the perfect compromise name for us. It's very distinguished, but with Latin roots and a strong American influence as well. It even feels a bit Southern, and I really appreciate the references to the character in TKAM and his historical namesake. Even using Tiki as a nickname works in favor my husband as he's originally from Hawaii. He's still not sold because it doesn't wow him.Rory: This is my number one this time around. I'd love to have the sibset both with the Doctor Who reference for nerd points, but it has that preppy but distinctive feel. It feels too fratty for him.Edwin: My favorite from the first pregnancy. I love the NN Win for the indie rock reference, and it's just awesome. It's little formal without the nickname, which I like, but my husband doesn't.Julian & Vincent: These are concessions to my husband that I thought he'd like, but he's not interested. These are names I could live with, but I'm not crazy about.

Names on my husband's short list:Ezra: He thinks it sounds cool (I'll give him that) and he like Ezra Pound. Since we're both atheists, I have a hard time getting behind a strong Biblical name. The references to marital cleansing particularly bother me.Orion: I'm surprised it's on the top 1000 now, but it still seems a little out there to me.Rigel: The brightest star in Orion. Now he's really just making up names. It means foot.
Kaeso: NN Kai, a very Latin name. It's so old, it feels made up to me now.Augustus: Coming back into fashion now, but I really don't like the name aesthetically or NN Gus.

Our last name is one syllable and rhymes with cranks.

I'd love to hear some name choices that might interest either of us, or help us meet in the middle! Thanks so much in advance.

You've got some nice names there. I agree with you on Ezra, I love that name too, but it's very biblical. I like pp's suggestion of Enzo for you two.

Since your hubby loves astronomical names I'll start with those:

Altair - this was on my list. It's the brightest star in Aquila, and it means The Flying One.Castor - the second brightest star in Gemini, and one of the Heavenly Twins. Castor was a son of Zeus & Leda. The name means pure (or beaver).Ferdinand - one of Uranus' moons! it means journey + venture. It's got lots of history, it was used by the Visigoths.Indus - a constellation in the southern sky. Unfortunately that's the coolest thing about it, no bright stars, no mythology.Oberon - one of the coolest moons of Uranus. Oberon is the king of the faeries (literally means elf ruler). You can call him Obi (Star Wars!)!Perseus - an amazing constellation, one of the best heroes in Greek mythology (name means to destroy, but everything can't be perfect), and you can call him Percy!Sirius - the dog star. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. It's a lovely name, and the HP character is amazing.
Triton - a moon of Neptune. In Greek mythology he was the messenger of the sea. Means third.Wolf - there are lots of Wolf stars and comets. Wolves are cool. VirginiaWoolf, WolfgangAmadeusMozart...

Historical names:Alaric - legendary king of the Visigoths.Arthur - KingArthur, need I say more?Attila - I think this name rocks. Attila the Hun might have gotten a bad rep, but the victors write the history.Cyrus - the Persian king. Beautiful name, Cy is a cool nickname. Leonidas - the Geek hero/king of Sparta. Nicknames Leo or Leon.

Names on my short list include:Atticus: This has never really wowed me. Maybe because it contains "Attic". Rory: Actually, this is a name that has been stolen by girls for me. I've met a few little girls named Rory. It seems less and less manly to me over time.Edwin: Not really a fan. To me, it's a bit too much for a kid. I do like the nn Ned, but I'd probably opt for Edward or Edison. Julian & Vincent: Julian's ok... Vincent normally becomes Vinny, and makes me think of a guido/ mobster.

Names on my husband's short list:Ezra: I love Ezra, but it is very religious (I actually love it because of a religious leader). It also reminds me of the 90s band "Better than Ezra").Orion: I absolutely love this name... it actually has been one of my tops since childhood. Unfortunately, DH vetoed it (there's a cookie brand here in China called Orion). The only troubling thing is that the story of Orion has a few versions... in one it almost sounds like he might've committed a sexual crime. Rigel: Actually, this one is too far out for me.
Kaeso: Ditto... not a fan. Augustus: I like this, except that I'm with you... there are no good nicknames.